Kasur Gyalo Dhondup, the Dalai Lama's 80-year-old elder brother told reporters Wednesday that he believed dialogue was the only way to achieve progress with China.

In my mind we should continue to plead our case to the Chinese. I have complete faith in China,'' said Thondup. He refuted a response from Zhu
Weiqun, Vice-Minister of the Central United Front Work Department of
Chinese Communist Party in China, that Deng Xiaoping has never made such a
statement.

Zhu Weiqun, in an answer to a Japanese reporter’s question has
said, “Comrade Deng Xiaoping had never made such a statement. It is a falsehood
made by Gyari and is a complete distortion of Deng Xiaoping’s
statement.”

“I am shocked to hear such a statement from the Chinese
officials because it was myself to whom the late paramount leader, Deng
Xiaoping, said, “except independence all other issues can be settled through
discussions,” Mr Gyalo said while addressing a large gathering of national and
international press reporters at the Kashag.

He said: “Deng Xiaoping is
no longer with us today. But to put the record straight I would like to clarify
in front of international media that during my first visit to China in 1979 I
met the paramount leader Deng Xiaoping on 12 March 1979. He told me “except
independence all other issues can be settled through discussions.”